


good morning, world!

by kodzukens



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Volleyball AU, Volleyball Dorks in Love, another borderline crack au, huening kai just wants to play volleyball, soogyu are partners in crime and Partners, taejun are tired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28998360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kodzukens/pseuds/kodzukens
Summary: "Should we stop him?" Taehyun asks Soobin beside him. There's a chill crawling up his spine upon seeing the Look in Yeonjun's eyes, it's that Look that always shows itself when Yeonjun finally awakens his competitiveness --- which is most of the time.Soobin shakes his head, "Let's see where this goes."If you were to tell Taehyun that the smiles on Soobin's face give you the impression of a gentle giant who could never seem to hurt a fly, Taehyun would agree. Most of the time, that's usually what Soobin's smiles are.But there's an equally chilling disturbance to their captain's smile today as he watches the scene unfold, almost delighting in seeing hell spread over their court.(aka txt play volleyball and all hell breaks loose)
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Choi Soobin, Choi Yeonjun/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 18
Kudos: 98





	1. new rules

**Author's Note:**

> this all just stemmed from the fact that i saw txt wear hq uniforms and now we are here.

Taehyun knows he’s the envy of all.

Proclaimed genius in volleyball, academics, and in pretty much everything you can think of. He was awarded Best Setter twice in his middle school career and he’s aware he’ll only continue to pursue even farther heights. Call him whatever you want, but it’s inevitable at this point. 

When he had enrolled into this known powerhouse school, he knows what’s expected of him and he’ll expect that they’ll return his. It’s a simple give and take.

Upon entering the looming covered court, Taehyun narrowly dodges a flying volleyball that almost went to his face.

Taehyun understands. He’s been through this many times. It happens during practice. That’s why it’s called practice, after all.

What Taehyun doesn’t understand was why a bucket of water follows right after the volleyball, toppling onto his head and soaking his hair and his uniform.

It’s cold. 

It’s only the first week, Taehyun is ---  _ was _ wearing a fresh set of uniform and he still has to get to class in an hour.

“ _Oh no_.” A voice speaks up, complete horror evident in his voice despite the fact that there is a bucket obscuring Taehyun’s vision. “It’s not Yeonjun. We got a first year.”

**-**

“It’s only the first week of classes and you two already terrorized a first year,” is the first thing Yeonjun says when he enters the gym. At the sight of him, Soobin and Beomgyu straighten up --- not out of fear, he knows that, but because they’ve been caught.

“You _totally_ saw that coming,” Beomgyu accuses, giving him the stink-eye. “You sacrificed this poor first year!”

“You really are evil.” Soobin sticks his tongue out at him from where was. He’s taken the responsibility to dry the victimized first year, blow drying as the first year wipes himself in long-drawn out lethargic movements.

Yeonjun’s known Soobin since the two of them were in diapers, he’s seen Soobin cry over the fact that snakes don’t have any limbs and he’s known Beomgyu during middle school where Beomgyu nearly ran them over with a golf cart on the first day of class. Five years of those two teaming up and terrorizing him but somehow, Yeonjun can’t ever say he could ever get used to the pranks these two come up with.

It was just by luck that he had an oblation to give to the hands of --- whatever Beomgyu and Soobin are. 

“I have a meeting with the other class reps later. It was a necessary sacrifice.” Yeonjun turns to the discouraged-looking first year with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, kid.”

The first year only glances at him with dead eyes before he goes back to wiping himself. 

“You’re familiar,” Beomgyu hums when he lands his gaze on the first year. He places his fingers on his chin and rubs it, appearing thoughtful as he squints at the first year. “What color was your uniform in middle school?”

“Shouldn’t you be asking what middle school he went to?” Yeonjun raises a brow. 

“Too hard to remember.” Beomgyu waves his hand in dismissal before he returns his attention to the first year. “Now, what color?”

The first year gives Beomgyu a look that Yeonjun just instantly understands what it means. It’s almost a face that only Beomgyu can get from people:  _ What- the-hell-are-you-on? _

“... Black,” he answers with a slow roll of his words.

“I remember now!” Beomgyu claps his hands with newfound joy. ‘You’re that genius setter! Kang Taehyun!”

Yeonjun turns to the first year, raising an eyebrow for his confirmation. He nods. 

“Yes. I’m Kang Taehyun.”

Beomgyu looks at Soobin with overflowing exuberance, “His match was the one we watched, right Soobin? The one where the other team’s libero barfed on their coach's pants after that intense rally?” 

Soobin nods happily to Beomgyu’s words from where he was blow-drying Taehyun's uniform.

Yeonjun and Taehyun share a look. It’s been approximately less than 8 minutes since they met but it’s an  _ understanding . _

**-**

Kai was just about to enter the classroom until he spotted Taehyun outside their room, also just about to enter. Kai almost jumps in excitement upon seeing his best friend but the smile fades instantly upon getting a closer look at Taehyun, who looks like the life inside his body was sucked out to nothing. 

"What happened?" Kai tilts his head at the sight of his best friend. 

"I passed my application letter to the volleyball club this morning," Taehyun says with the enthusiasm of a plastic bag. "But I got involved in a prank that wasn't for me." 

"What? How?"

Taehyun stares at him straight in the eyes when he raises his foot and presses it back onto the floor, a disgusting squelching sound grates Kai's ears. 

“Ugh.” Kai can’t help but make a face that Taehyun only responds to with a sigh.

Taehyun enters the classroom with the same refined dignity despite his soaked shoes and Kai is sure that their classmates hear too, glancing at Taehyun with mortified eyes. 

"I got splashed," Taehyun says. "The seniors helped me dry my clothes but… not my shoes."

Kai winces. 

Taehyun's always been a well prepared person. He almost always knows what would happen in the next hour or so, so he has his plans laid out even to the most minute details. He can deal well with unexpected attacks but there's still something about the shock factor of Taehyun's plans not going well that takes a toll on him. 

Kai should know. He was there when Taehyun first discovered global warming. 

("You mean… polar bears might become extinct soon?" a six year old Taehyun says in a horrified whisper. "I might… never get to see one?"

Kai looks at his friend in pity before he pats his back.)

"You don't have extra school shoes?" Kai asks him, because usually, Taehyun would have at least 4 pairs of extra prepared --- one pair of Kai included. 

Taehyun shakes his head. "I was gonna get them next week. I didn't expect this to happen to me right on the  _ first  _ _day_ \--- I was going at this way too lightly."

Kai can see the embers blazing in Taehyun's eyes, the cogs in his brain starting up once again. Kai only chuckles. Despite what it might seem like at first, it doesn't actually take much for Taehyun's competitiveness to start revving up. 

"Psst! First-year Kang Taehyun!"

They whip their heads to the source of the voice, where two upperclassmen are grinning at them from the window of their classroom. Their other classmates are staring too, either at awe of such pretty people or weirded out why their seniors are climbing into their classroom.

Kai glances at Taehyun, whose expression appears to be in between amazement or begging for the universe to end everything right now. 

"You know them, Taehyun?" Kai asks, trailing behind him when Taehyun starts to make his say towards the upperclassmen, who have now begun to shove each other while cackling, trying to see who would fall first. 

"They're the seniors who pulled the prank," Taehyun mumbles before he bows to them in greeting. The two look surprised at the sudden gesture that they can do nothing but blink. "Hello. How may I help you?"

Kai almost laughs at the change of tone in Taehyun's voice. 

"We got you shoes!" The shorter one between them exclaims, holding up a pair of shoes with neon stickers covering all of it. Kai spots an adorable looking My Melody strangled right there near the laces. 

“We felt bad you had to leave with wet shoes.” The taller one offers them the explanation with a small smile on his face, flashing them with a pair of dimples. It sends a small flutter in Kai’s chest. “It’s just your lucky day that Beomgyu still has these!”

Taehyun stares at the shoes for a good moment before he turns to his own damp ones. He gives the upperclassmen a pressed smile before he takes them with flimsy hands. 

“Thank you,” Taehyun says, sounding beyond relieved to finally wear dry shoes. “I’ll return these soon.”

“We also got you socks!” The short one --- Beomgyu --- adds, throwing Taehyun a pair of bedazzled alligator socks. “Pretty cool, right?”

Kai cackles when Taehyun only purses his lips into a smile.

**-**

“Oh, aren’t you Taehyun’s friend?” is what Kai is met with upon entering the covered court. It’s the upperclassman from earlier, the taller one who was doubling over in laughter while watching his companion fall off the window when Kai and Taehyun’s homeroom teacher came in. 

He’s out of the school uniform now, dressed in a light blue shirt and the standard gold-colored school volleyball shorts. He looks much more in his zone in those clothes.

“Oh, yes.” Kai finds himself nodding. The senior is only a tad bit taller than Kai is, but with the added silhouette of the near menacing space of the gym behind him, it serves the reminder that despite today’s shenanigans, they still are dealing with a team in a powerhouse school, one that’s made it to nationals countless times --- and Kai just has to take a  _ few _ steps back out of intimidation. 

The upperclassman appears to notice Kai’s hesitance because he smiles, warm and not unkind. It makes Kai relax just a bit. 

“Taehyun’s not here yet, I think,” he says. “Beomgyu said he saw him somewhere at the vending machine.”

_ Ah _ . Kai thinks. He’s probably having another dilemma between choosing a jelly drink and coffee again. 

“You can wait for him inside though,” he tells Kai. “We have waiting benches here. Just be careful not to get hit by balls.” 

“Oh, I’m actually here to submit my own application for the team,” Kai says, showing the piece of paper he’s hidden behind his back. The senior’s lips part into an ‘o’ in realization.

When the pretty senior takes the paper from his hands and shoots him another charming smile, Kai feels his cheeks heat up at the brief proximity.

Oh no. 

It’s gonna be another one of  _ those  _ times , huh.

“Huening Kai,” he muses as he reads the paper. He extends his hand to Kai for a shake, who feels his knees stutter inwards at the touch. “I’m Choi Soobin, 3rd year.”

**-**

There’s something about being able to play against the volleyball team applicants that riles up Beomgyu in just the right ways. 

It’s more or so the fact that this is going to be his first time, as last year, he was the one on the opposite side of the court, doing every inch of his best to prove to the team that he’s worthy to make it to the team and to get into the starting lineup. 

It’s survival of the fittest, more so in powerhouse schools such as this one. Beomgyu knows he gave his everything to be in this position right now. It’s well deserved --- and he’s going to make sure that the first years are the same.

It’s a great match. Beomgyu thinks this batch of first years are full of promising players: Park Jisung, a middle blocker who can move in swift speeds that matches his high stamina, Zhong Chenle, a wing spiker whose clever techniques make up for the lack of power, Kang Taehyun, the well-known genius setter who has all aspects of every area covered (Beomgyu knows he’s going to make the starting lineup already), and Huening Kai, a middle blocker whose height can cover gaps in blocks like now other. 

Beomgyu hums happily. This year is going to be full of fun matches. 

“You look happy,” Soobin comments when they enter the clubroom, fresh outta the showers. “Was the match that fun?”

Beomgyu nods vigorously, “Did you see Kang Taehyun’s serve? That was monstrous. Any other libero would have had a hard time with that.” 

Yeonjun enters the room with a raised eyebrow. “Is this just another Compliment Beomgyu Fest? Because I’m not having any of that.”

“He’s not wrong though,” Soobin rebutts Yeonjun. “You know the saying, love your liberos.”

Beomgyu gives Soobin a thumbs-up. Soobin winks at him in return. Yeonjun rolls his eyes. Truly, they are the greatest trio the world decided to make.

“Maybe he’s just relieved that none of the applicants were liberos.”

Beomgyu throws Yeonjun a crumpled piece of tissue. “There. Something to stuff your ass with.”

Soobin laughs, patting Yeonjun on the back. Yeonjun responds by sticking his tongue out at Beomgyu, who throws him another crumpled tissue paper.

“Well, looks like we snagged ourselves some great players,” Soobin muses as he slips back into his uniform. “I’m gonna have to tell Arin to get the new jerseys.”

  
  
  
  



	2. now this belongs to you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and perhaps this team will be different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was just a whole sap fest honestly

Saturday practices have something in them that Yeonjun really likes. Whether the reason be the lack of other students and class or just the overall feeling of the weekends, all Yeonjun knows is that he likes it. 

Usually, he would be the first one to arrive at the gym on Saturdays, when his class rep duties aren’t dragging him down. It’s why Soobin gave him the keys because they both know Soobin likes to catch up on his sleep even just for a few minutes. Yeonjun doesn’t mind, he likes being called the early bird.

But it looks like there’s an even earlier bird today. 

“Taehyun, right?” Yeonjun gives a small smile to the first year, who only nods at him. Yeonjun continues to speak as he opens the lock, “You did really good during Thursday’s match!”

"I know." A ghost of a smile crosses Taehyun's pretty face. "You were… also really good." 

Yeonjun's heard countless compliments about his playing, it comes with the job of being the ace in a powerhouse school and even more when you were acknowledged as a prodigy player ever since you were young. It's only inevitable that he'd eventually get numb to it -- but that never happens. For every praise, Yeonjun feels himself burst with bubbles of pride and a small one from Taehyun is no different. 

"Right?" Yeonjun grins at him. "I _should_ be good! I am the ace after all!"

Taehyun just smiles. Out of sincerity or politeness, Yeonjun doesn't know.

"You're probably nervous, right? That you get to set to me soon?" Yeonjun throws him question after question. There is a certain kind of excitement in talking with other recognized players. Not that talking to his lesser known teammates is boring --- he never gets tired of Soobin and Beomgyu despite what he lets on --- it's just that there is a certain kind of solidarity in knowing that someone has similar experiences as you.

"A bit," Taehyun answers with a sheepish smile. "But I promise that I'll give you all the best sets." 

“As you should,” Yeonjun says with a nod. “Even if I make it work, I still won’t take half-assed sets, okay?”

Yeonjun is aware he doesn’t have to say that. He saw it in the practice match, the elaborate care Taehyun puts into his sets, in making sure that his hitters only ever hit the best of his tosses. He knows Kang Taehyun will do great in their team, as their setter, as Yeonjun’s setter.

“I don’t disappoint. So you don’t have to worry about anything,” Taehyun responds with complete confidence. There is no arrogance or any blown over ego in his words, it’s only the humble voice of someone who knows what they’re capable of. 

A grin tugs at the corner of Yeonjun’s lips. He likes that a lot.

“Is that so?” 

He pushes the gym doors wide open. The previously dark space begins to gleam as the morning light begins to spill over it, ready to be used. It’s one of Yeonjun’s absolute favorite views in the world.

And from the look in Taehyun’s eyes, Yeonjun can see what it might mean to him too. 

“Welcome to the club, Kang Taehyun.”

**-**

Beomgyu knows Soobin like the back of his hand. 

It comes with constant learning time after time after time. He knows that Soobin likes to take his time in eating meals, finishing in almost an hour after Beomgyu finishes his. He knows Soobin prefers jelly drinks over water after a rough match. He knows Soobin likes to tape his pinkies during official games. 

He also knows that Soobin likes to catch up on his sleep during Saturdays and Beomgyu has taken it upon himself to wake Soobin up before his captain gets up in a panic and forgets to eat breakfast after the realization of being late. 

Beomgyu’s already gained himself permission years ago to enter this certain Choi household anytime he likes, and so he flashes a smile at Soobin’s mom before he marches up the stairs and into Soobin’s room, walking through the regular clutter of clothes and other items on the floor in lithe steps.

He can see his beloved captain partially hidden under his blue Care Bears sheets, soft snores sounding from him.

Beomgyu feels a grin coming up on his face. 

“Soobin!” He leaps onto the bed and onto Soobin, who grunts at being awakened from his peaceful slumber. He gently swats at Beomgyu’s face, who only continues to wiggle violently to stir him up. “It’s time for practice, sleepyhead!”

Soobin raises himself up, bedhead making itself known with his dark hair sticking out in all spots and there’s a hint of dried drool at the corner of his lips. For a moment, Beomgyu wonders how someone can look so dishevelled yet so pretty this early in the morning aside from himself. 

He supposes he has a bias for Soobin.

Soobin squints at Beomgyu with bleary eyes before his head plops back down his pillow. 

Beomgyu laughs at the sight before he rests his head on Soobin’s chest. He stays in his spot, unmoving and completely behaved. He knows he doesn’t have to do anything now but wait for Soobin to gather enough energy to get up --- usually in 30 seconds. 

Sure enough, Soobin rouses once again, mumbling a hoarse, “Good morning.”

“Good morning!” Beomgyu greets back, unable to hold himself back and pinch Soobin’s cheeks, earning himself an adorable nose scrunch. “Get ready for practice! Now or I’ll bite you!” 

Soobin raises a brow at him. “Okay, tiger.”

“ _Rawr_.” 

Beomgyu bares his teeth into a smile when Soobin chuckles and pats his head. He watches with amusement as Soobin slips out of bed, showing his dorky cat print pyjamas (courtesy of the previous captain from last year's Christmas party) and stretching his limbs with a yawn, not unlike a cat.

“I think we ate too much cheesecake last night,” Soobin sighs, picking up his towel and practice clothes from the floor. Beomgyu tries not to sigh at the mess that is Soobin’s room and Soobin himself. 

“Correction: _you_ ate too many cheesecakes last night,” Beomgyu tells him with a raised brow. "I was only waiting for you to finish your eighth slice.”

“Hehe.”

Soobin flashes him a bright smile before disappearing into his bathroom. Beomgyu only snorts at the gesture and plops back onto the soft mattress of Soobin’s bed. 

**-**

“Don’t you think he’s cute?”

Taehyun looks up from where he was taping Kai’s fingers. He furrows his brows at his best friend in front of him. “Who?”

Kai is blushing when he responds with a meek, “The… captain.” 

“Oh? Soobin?”

Taehyun doesn’t hold back on the smirk that falls on his lips. It’s always easy to rile up Kai whenever crushes are involved and it's very endearing to watch because he almost always stumbles --- on his words and literally, his usual clumsiness heightened to the point that Taehyun gets concerned. 

“Yeah,” Kai says. “So, what do you think?” 

His face is so red that Taehyun genuinely worries he might explode right now. It can happen, he’s read from actual medical and crime cases.

“He is,” Taehyun answers honestly. 

It would be an outright lie to look at the volleyball team captain and say he isn’t at all good looking. With those dimples and those eyes that crinkle in just the right way? Yeah, Taehyun would be committing a crime of fraud to say Choi Soobin isn’t cute. 

“I think he’s dating Arin though,” Taehyun muses, recalling the time after class where the two headed home together. “But then again, I know nothing of the jurisdiction of love.” 

“The manager?” Kai sounds thoughtful. “I thought he was with Yeonjun.”

“Maybe he’s just friendly,” Taehyun concludes. “And we’re just assuming things.”

“You’re right about that.” 

They jump at the sound of another voice speaking from beside them. They glance at the sound and see the second year libero, the one who accidentally dumped a bucket of water on him--- Choi Beomgyu, Taehyun remembers--- staring right at them.

“Hello,” Taehyun greets him, followed by Kai’s own stammered greeting. Has he been listening to them gossiping all this time? “Right about what?”

“About assuming things,” Beomgyu answers, not averting his gaze from them one bit as he chugs his water bottle. “He is dating someone though.” 

“Who?” 

A mischievous glint flashes in Beomgyu’s eyes then, not too far from the one he had from their meeting. It’s enough of a warning for Taehyun to say what will happen next is a bad idea. 

“I’ll tell you if you can complete a challenge for me.”

The words are enough to spark something inside Taehyun.

**-**

Being appointed team captain during his second year after nationals, Soobin figured he could handle it. He took a spiked volleyball to the face during practice once, one hit by none other than Yeonjun, he figured he could handle anything by then.

Obviously, Soobin proved himself wrong. 

"Taehyun," he says calmly to the first year hugging his knees. "What are you trying to do?"

Kang Taehyun is a genius, not unlike their prodigy ace, Yeonjun, Taehyun is also pretty well known around their level in the volleyball league as the setter who won two Best Setter awards in his middle school career. In their three official meetings, Soobin has also come to know Taehyun as sweet, witty, and only ever aggressive when his usual route of winning gets closed off. (His usual route of winning being naturally winning.)

"Trying to carry you," Taehyun answers through gritted teeth. 

His face is turning red and Soobin is positive his arms are shaking.

"Yeah, no." Soobin lightly nudges him away. "That's not gonna work, sweetie."

Taehyun’s brows furrow in frustration that Soobin knows only a first year can have. “One more try?”

“One more try and your arms might snap,” Soobin chuckles. “Why the sudden, um, carrying attempt?”

“I made a bet with one of the team members.” 

_At least he’s honest --- or looks like it._ Soobin thinks to himself. He very well knows he would’ve said something different in his first year, probably would have never tried even touching one of the older members out of fear he might piss his pants. Yeonjun would just carry them before blaming it as someone else's idea, and Beomgyu ---

Oh.

“Let me guess,” Soobin starts, raising an eyebrow. “Beomgyu made you do this.”

Taehyun nods with absolute serenity. 

Soobin turns his gaze to where the libero was sitting, chatting animatedly at one of the first year middle blockers, Kai. He looks absolutely blissed out when Kai begins to chat away to him with much gusto. Soobin chuckles. He must be really enjoying his newfound senior title.

It doesn’t take long for Beomgyu to notice him staring, as he always does. He scans Soobin and an unmoving Taehyun before he throws an unabashed grin his way. Soobin stifles a laugh. So he knew it would come to this.

“Alright, what was the bet about? I’ll do it for you.” He really isn’t about to let their new setter ruin his precious hands at the expense of one of Beomgyu’s pranks. Anything Beomgyu knows, Soobin knows anyways, and vice versa. It’s how it works. 

Taehyun looks flustered at the question. It’s clear he wasn’t thinking this through. 

“You can tell me.” As captain, it’s important for Soobin to establish trust in his teammates. He’s always constantly reminding himself that it’s for team building, not for him to build up his own hunger of gossip to tell to Beomgyu. So far, it’s going well.

“Well,” Taehyun starts, a tinge of guilt in his voice. He can’t seem to look at Soobin in the eyes but maybe that’s just because Soobin is towering over him. “If I manage to carry you, he’ll answer our question.”

“Which is?”

“Who you’re dating.”

Soobin can’t help it. 

He bursts into laughter, doubling over the floor so violently that the other members turn their attention to him in concern. He hears Beomgyu’s cackles nearby and Yeonjun sighing in the distance.

In the midst of his laughtrip, the ear-splitting whistle sounds and the coach calls them over for another match. Soobin snaps back up immediately, startling a nonplussed Taehyun who was still standing there.

Soobin grins at him, “Sorry for that. I’ll answer your question now.” 

Beomgyu begins to make his way to the court, beaming wide and bright. Taehyun instantly follows Soobin's gesture when he shoves his finger in the air to point at their bouncing libero.

“The one I'm dating… is him,” Soobin tells Taehyun, who looks like everything had clicked in place.

**-**

"So, in conclusion," Kai starts after practice. "We got played."

Taehyun just sighs from beside him. He doesn’t seem to be taking this loss (supposedly? Kai doesn’t really know if anyone lost) really well.

“Sorry, kid.” Beomgyu seems to be enjoying this a lot. He’s been grinning through the whole hour and occassionally bursts into fits of giggles. “I couldn’t help myself.”

“I trusted you!’ Kai whines. He had already established his invaluable trust to Beomgyu for a total of fifteen minutes. The betrayal he’s feeling right now isn’t unwarranted! “I even told you about how his eyes sparkled! That’s so embarrassing now!”

“What do you mean it’s embarrassing?” Beomgyu raises a brow. “I even agreed with you! His eyes _do_ sparkle!” 

“That’s enough teasing now.” Yeonjun suddenly materializes out of thin air. Kai nearly screams, Beomgyu doesn’t look surprised one bit, and Taehyun just blinks. “Soobin’s calling us now.” 

Beomgyu perks up and dashes off to where the captain was discussing something with Arin, the very nice and kind manager who somehow managed to handle Kai’s near mental breakdown when he thought he had lost his keychain earlier. He’ll always be thankful to her.

(“You mean this?” Arin holds up the plush keychain in front of him, the dangling slash flying baby squirrel, now with dirt stains on him, is grinning up at Kai. “I found this earlier when I entered the gym.”

Kai almost cries right there.

“You found him!” Kai takes the item in the most gentle manner his clumsy hands can handle. He begins to cradle the poor thing. “You found Taehyun Jr!”

Taehyun, from across the vast court, somehow hears it and his head snaps up from where he was reading a brochure about spotting scammers, panic blazing in his eyes. “You actually named him Taehyun Jr?”

“If you want I can take him to the wash,” Arin offers, a bright smile on her face. Kai is slowly becoming convinced she is this school’s patron saint, one brought by the skies to bless Kai’s life. “You can get him next week.”

Kai bursts into tears.)

“That goes for you two too,” Yeonjun says. “Let’s go?”

He is positively beaming despite the barbaric training they just had. Kai assumes it comes with being a prodigy, Taehyun seated beside him doesn’t look a hair out of place. 

They follow Yeonjun to where the rest of the team was seated, gathered together in a circle. Their coach was off somewhere, and so it’s Soobin and Arin standing in the middle of the circle, two huge bags of unknown content in their arms. They’re beaming as they speak. 

“We’ve gathered here,” Arin starts excitedly. “To give the newcomers a warm welcome.”

Gold gleams in Kai’s eyes as he watches the two of them take out the school jerseys. He doesn’t know why, he’s been through this familiar process a whole lot of times, he’s had school jerseys before but this one… 

This one feels different. 

He glances at Taehyun, whose eyes are bright as he watches the first years getting called to the front to receive their uniforms. Kai doesn’t utter a protest when Taehyun’s arm loops through his.

“Huening Kai.” Kai almost jumps when Soobin calls his name. He walks up to the center with shaky legs, nearly stumbling when Soobin gives a small smile before handing his jersey to him. 

When he returns to his spot, Taehyun is red and tearing up from hiding his laughter.

“Don’t start,” Kai warns him but Taehyun ignores that, snorting behind his hand. “It’s not my fault he’s pretty.”

“You looked so stupid,” Taehyun wheezes. “Beomgyu was also laughing his ass off.”

“Kang Taehyun,” Soobin calls. 

Taehyun takes his jersey with grace but when he walks back to Kai, he thinks Taehyun might actually just start kissing his jersey right now. He doesn’t say anything about that though lest Taehyun will go back to teasing him.

“First years,” Soobin begins once again after all the jerseys have been distributed. “From us third years ---”

Beomgyu coughs loudly into the sleeve of his jacket. “ _And second years!_ ”

Soobin ignores that but Kai can see the corner of his lips twitching up. 

“From all of us upperclassmen,” Soobin corrects himself. “We would like to say one thing.” 

All the seniors stand up into a line. Arin is smiling as she looks at all of them, Yeonjun is gazing at them with endeared eyes, Beomgyu is smirking proudly as he slings an arm around his teammates, and Soobin is grinning with delight. 

Kai glances at Taehyun right when the other one does the same. They share a look then, just when they hear a fellow first year sniff from somewhere in their circle and Kai knows that Taehyun understands. That this team will be different. 

Soobin leads them, mouthing ‘ _one, two, three…_ ’ before their shouts echo in this vast gym where no one else can hear but them.

“Welcome to the team!” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was so fun to write but i also feel like i lost my last braincell writing this
> 
> thank you for reading!! kudos and comments are very much appreciated!! <3
> 
> follow me on twt: [sbgyu_](https://twitter.com/sbgyu_)


	3. new love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is what home must feel like

The volleyball club settles into Kai’s routine smoothly. 

He wakes up at 6 to get ready for school, gets to school at 7 on his bike and starts practice with the team for an hour before classes start, spends his lunch with Taehyun inside the library (because Taehyun likes to smell the dusty air conditioner for some unknown reason), head to practice for two to three hours after class, and end his day by stopping by the convenience store (on rare occasions, with Taehyun) before finally heading home.

The process in his days are completely flawless, and Kai has to applaud himself for going through this so smoothly. 

The ball is just in the right place when Kai’s hand spikes it down the other side of the net. Taehyun’s in top condition, as always, and Kai gives him a grin when he lands on his feet. 

“Great quick, guys!” Yeonjun is beaming as he bounces towards them. “Now, Taehyun. Can you give me a toss? That looked so cool! I wanna do it too!” 

Some of the team members laugh. It has become clear to the team that Yeonjun has a favorite now, always asking for Taehyun’s tosses like it’s his daily meal. The previous setter, Huang Renjun, doesn’t seem too bothered by that, chuckling every time they watch Yeonjun hop to Taehyun with gleaming eyes. 

Kai heads over to the benches to fetch his water. He spots Soobin there, with his brows furrowed as he reads over a small slip of paper. 

"What's up," Kai greets before he pauses and stammers out, " _captain_."

After _That_ Saturday practice, it's safe to say that Kai's crush on Soobin dissipated as quickly as it came. There's something about telling your ex crush's boyfriend about how their boyfriend's eyes sparkle in the just right kind of light and how their smile could power a whole city that is a whole other kind of embarrassing that you immediately repress it two hours later. 

Kai, being the ever friendly person he is, has managed to make friends with them though. But it’s just plain weird that despite only having a two year gap in their ages, Kai still feels like he’s talking to people who haven’t been in touch with society for decades.

(“Beomgyu, are you a simp?” Kai had joked one day after practice. Him and Taehyun were the unlucky witnesses who had to experience the sight of the two's sappy cuddling session in the locker room.

Beomgyu’s brows furrow. “You’re funny, Kai. Why would I have Squirrels In My Pants?”

The smile on Taehyun’s face wipes off entirely.)

Soobin jumps at his sudden presence but he instantly smiles at seeing Kai. "Hey." He tucks in the piece of paper inside his bag. "Nothing much. I was just looking over our training schedule, and we have a practice match some time this week."

Kai perks up. His first _high school_ match. 

If Taehyun were in his place right now, he would simply nod before walking away because for him, every practice match is the same but Kai can't help but romanticize the feeling of playing against _high schoolers._

"You look pretty excited," Soobin points out with a laugh. "Right. This is your first practice match in high school."

Kai nods rapidly, "Who are we playing against?"

The smile on Soobin's face falls off but he averts his gaze and quickly picks the conversation by clearing his throat, "Um, the private academy from the next town over? East Integrated Academy." 

"Oh! I remember!" Kai claps happily. "They were the ones who won second at nationals last year! Right?"

"That's right." There's a change of tone in Soobin's voice, but the smile on his face makes it hard to distinguish what it is. "You're quite --- oh, who's that?" 

Soobin is looking past him now, and Kai easily follows his gaze to the gym doors, where a familiar looking girl is popping out, watching the practice on the court unfold carefully. 

"Oh! I know her!" Kai exclaims. "She's Shin Yuna from my homeroom! I'll go check what she wants!"

Soobin nods, his shoulders relaxing, "Alright, then." 

Kai begins to run towards his classmate, who seems to have noticed him because she smiles at him, with teeth and all. It's the one smile everyone in their grade obsesses over. 

"Hey there," Kai greets her. "What's up?"

"Oh, Kai! I'm glad you were the one who came." Yuna frowns, her eyes scanning the gym once again. Kai's own eyes spot the piece of paper she was holding delicately in her hands. "I couldn't find the manager anywhere."

She pauses, seems to notice where his stare was at and she gives him a grin.

"I'm here to sign up as a manager of the club."

Kai raises an eyebrow at that. 

It's not that he doubts Yuna's abilities to be the manager of the club. He thinks she's more than capable actually, recalling the time during preschool where a swarm of bees were flying around and she didn't even blink. It's more like he doubts the members of the club would be able to act sane around her for more than a week. He doesn't even know Arin could handle them with a smile. 

It's just when a shirtless Beomgyu promptly gets chased by a glittery Taehyun, who's holding a slipper, behind them --- another regular Tuesday --- that Kai speaks. 

"Are you sure about that?" 

**-**

Yeonjun remembers how this had started. 

One lucky Saturday night, when most of the members have already filed out of the gym and are going their merry way home, even Beomgyu who would usually overwork himself till he wasn’t able to feel his legs or till Soobin dragged him away to go home.

They were all used to this; Yeonjun, the first one to enter the gym (when he can) and the last one to exit the gym. 

Yeonjun knew he was popular, both in and outside of his school campus, making himself known in various magazine articles and television news. He’s also the class representative, garnered his votes through the blurred crowd that he’s made friends with. With all of these things going for him, there isn’t any way he could possibly be lonely.

And even as he stood there by himself inside the massive and Herculean covered court, just him and this vast place he calls home, he didn’t think once about loneliness at all when he set up the net once again for the night,

His mother had told him that he never liked to watch the kids’ channels when he was still a bumbling toddler, his preference going towards volleyball players darting across the screen on television despite his tiny brain not comprehending a thing about it. 

Yeonjun can say his love for the sport had started there. That’s a shorter way to tell people. 

But he thinks that it’s a bit more complicated than just that of a simple story. 

Yeonjun believes that his love is the overwhelming sensation he feels when he takes a leap, when he begins to see the other side of the court in its whole, when the ball meets his palm in the best opportunity for him to strike it down to the other side, and when the whistle rings in his ears to signal the point they won.

His love always starts there, in an eternal cycle that he never wants to stop.

Yeonjun doesn’t mind when others can’t share the same sentiment, when they pass up on his offers for an extra round of practice. He’s learned to understand that not everyone will look at volleyball the way he does, that not everybody will feel the enveloping sensation of delight in landing in a spike or a serve, or the satisfaction of being able to make a good receive. 

(Some hesitate, and some long for another kind of love.)

Yeonjun understands that, and he was more than content to have the court as his only companion. Never minded it, and at some point, had loved it.

But then on that lucky Saturday night, the gym doors had cracked open.

Yeonjun blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of Kang Taehyun in the doorways, dark eyes peeking at Yeonjun curiously as he tied the last knot of the net. 

“Hey there.” Yeonjun had smiled at him, receiving a polite one in return. “It’s late. You should be going home now.”

Taehyun only gave him an unimpressed look, “Says you.”

Yeonjun blinked. 

“Well,” Yeonjun started, not really knowing _what_ he was starting. Was he getting senile or do the first years just have that kind of attitude? “It’s only your first day, kid. You shouldn’t be working yourself too much. You’re still young! You should get your regular eight hours of sleep!”

“You’re just one year older than me.”

“I’m turning eighteen!” Yeonjun huffs at the sudden jab from the first year. “In a couple months! So that makes it two years!”

"I just want to practice more."

"Not when you've hurt my feelings!"

Taehyun had turned quiet then, looking thoughtful and Yeonjun had expected him to retort back with another snarky reply but he smiled at Yeonjun and said, “I’ll toss to you.”

That was all it took for Yeonjun to nod his head and settle them into a new routine.

And Yeonjun has made his decision just two weeks after spending his time with the setter.

Taehyun is the best.

He’s the perfect setter. The way Yeonjun can just raise his hands as he's in the air, and the ball is there, placed with great care and thought, at home against Yeonjun's palm before he slams it to the other side of the net, with adrenaline and pride coursing through his veins. 

It's amazing that he almost doesn't have to think. 

"How was that?” Taehyun asks him after he spikes the last ball. It’s become an unspoken routine for them to wait for the other and practice, even when the rest of the team already went home hours prior. Soobin had told them to take it easy at first, but eventually his only comment had become an endeared sigh before he would throw them the keys. 

(“These days, I’m gonna have to set up a curfew.” Soobin scrunches his nose in distaste upon seeing the untidied court from Yeonjun and Taehyun’s late night adventures. “It’s so messy here.”

Beomgyu cackles, “I’ve seen worse places. One of them is called your room.”)

“The best,” Yeonjun tells Taehyun in the most sincere way he can. “It was in the perfect place.”

Taehyun hums --- a tone that Yeonjun has learned to distinguish as his Thinking Hum --- before he smiles and nods, “Good.”

“I think you've ruined other setters for me,” Yeonjun begins, his tone joking but his words are nothing but from the heart. “How could I ever hit other people’s tosses now when you gave the most perfect ones?”

For all of his time here, spending his evenings in this by himself, he had never thought about loneliness, satisfied with just the court as his companion.

But then Taehyun had come in, wide-eyed yet level-headed.

“I’m not sorry.” Taehyun is smiling again now, proud and assured. “I told you, didn’t I? I’ll only ever give you the best of tosses."

And it makes Yeonjun think about himself again, the days before Taehyun, by himself in the looming covered court.

Taehyun is beside him, with the ball settled in his palms as he’s discussing possible attacks they could practice, possible strategies in using the members. Yeonjun listens to them with his full attention, never running out of patience. 

Yeonjun was never lonely, content with just the ball and the sensation it burns through his veins.

But Taehyun is here now, and all of a sudden, he can’t ever imagine these nights without him. 

It was in these hours, with the near blinding lights of the gym and the dim sky outside, that Yeonjun had begun to call it his home. 

He glances at Taehyun, and thinks that he might be willing to share this one.

**-**

Soobin blinks at the bright flashing lights of the arcade. He didn't know what he was expecting when Beomgyu had suddenly dragged the remaining club members off from their regular route and off to the mall. 

("We'll just stay here." Both Yeonjun and Taehyun try --- emphasis on _try_ \--- to tell Beomgyu, who is already dragging them out the locker rooms.

Beomgyu halts in his ministrations, eyes flitting over the two of them before he shrugs, turns his back on them and muses, "Guess the Tekken tournament only stays between the three of us. Right, Kai? Right, Soobin?"

Soobin grins when he sees the glint in their eyes.

An easy yes.)

The practice match is tomorrow, and it’s usually something no one bats an eye upon but there’s the retention that only the three of them know. He supposes it was Beomgyu’s way for a momentary relaxation, just to get their minds off the anxiety and stress. 

They were all scattered around the random parts in the arcade. Soobin is having the time of his life at the claw machine, Yeonjun is sulking beside him, Beomgyu is crushing Taehyun in Tekken, accompanied by Kai, whose attempts at trying to cheer his friend are all in vain. 

Soobin thinks of how easily the two first years slot in their little friend group, with Kai constantly asking him for advice, in both sports and horror RPG games, with Taehyun accompanying Yeonjun in his late night practices and working alongside Soobin in strategies, and Beomgyu adding two more people in his list to tease mercilessly aside from Yeonjun. 

It’s nice… feels nice. 

"I tried but I couldn't get the first spot," Yeonjun grumbles. He presses his face against the glass, eyes focused on the winking blueberry plush. "I think that game is rigged."

Soobin raises a brow at him. "What game?"

"That!" Yeonjun frantically points at a very nostalgic spot in the arcade.

"Yeonjun, those are rides for little kids. Of course, there would be no rankings."

Soobin laughs. Throughout all his childhood, Yeonjun could never resist competition, always loved the risks that came with it, works hard when he doesn't get it until he _does_. It's how he got to where he is right now; the strong, dependable ace of their team.

(Even when he can see that clearest, Soobin still sometimes sees the same seven year old Yeonjun who would grab his hand out of fear when they would cross the street.)

"Ugh." Yeonjun is pouting now. His eyes glance over to the other boys by the Tekken machine. "You think I can finally beat Beomgyu in one round?"

Soobin hums, "I think you should value your friendships."

He tries to grab the Rilakkuma plush, the one sleeping peacefully right near the grab corner. The claw slips. Soobin frowns. 

"I think today is the day," Yeonjun mumbles. His eyes are still concentrated on their teammates. Soobin can see the burning fire in them, in a search for possible competitors. "I can feel it in my gut." 

"You said that last time but you still owe Beomgyu five answer sheets to his homework," Soobin points out as he punches in one more chip in the machine. 

Yeonjun, as predicted, doesn't let that get to him. He beams at Soobin, "I'll make _him_ owe me five slices of pie!"

He marches off with a song. Soobin is left alone with the claw machine once again. He knows Yeonjun's thirst for winning overpowers anything but he also can't help but think that those late night practices and secret smiles during matches also play a part in his friend's current endeavours. 

Soobin furrows his brows when the claw misses the plush once again. He throws in one more chip.

"Need some help?"

Soobin doesn’t resist the grin that tugs on the corner of his lips.

"I take it you owe Yeonjun five slices of pie?” Soobin asks, glancing at the bouncing libero beside him. 

“Woe is me,” Beomgyu says but he’s smiling up at Soobin, bright and charming as always. “He looked like he was about to explode if I pulled the laser eyes trick again so I had to play nice.”

For five years, Soobin has grown accustomed to this sight: Beomgyu by his side, the smile always curving on his lips when he looks at Soobin, and the feeling of warmth that never fails to wrap around Soobin when he’s there. 

He’s used to it but he doesn’t think the feelings will ever change. 

It’s too early to even be sure of anything but Soobin knows this one will last a lifetime. 

“Turn a little to the right,” Beomgyu hums. Soobin follows immediately. “A little more --- wait! Slightly to the left! Okay, okay, now go.”

Soobin presses the button. The claw lowers, lowers, lowers --- opens, weakly clutches at the plush, and finally drops it to the grab section. He exhales out a sigh. 

Beomgyu winks at him, and Soobin --- as always --- smiles.

He takes the Rilakkuma plush, soft against his palms, and he hands it to Beomgyu, who smirks but still accepts it, hugging it close to his chest. “You lack surprise factor but I’ll give you a hundred for your efforts.” 

“You’d still give me a hundred no matter what anyways,” Soobin points out.

Beomgyu snorts, “If it’s cleanliness then you get a hundred --- in the negatives.”

Soobin only shakes his head. He reaches over to the libero’s hands, calloused from years of drills and practice but so small in his. Soobin knows he doesn’t have to say it. The thoughts are raw and unfiltered and he knows he knows but it still rips out of this throat anyway, uttered in a hoarse voice.

“Thank you.”

Beomgyu smiles, satisfaction all over his face before he leans over and presses a meek kiss to Soobin’s cheek, “Love you.”

“Love you,” Soobin whispers before they pull back. 

“Now, I’m gonna go get Yeonjun owe me those answer sheets again,” Beomgyu tells him. He grins before he runs off, the sleeping Rilakkuma still in his arms.

Soobin watches him make his way to the other members. A smile tugs on the corners of his lips before he follows. 

**-**

The following day, Taehyun and Kai nearly get trampled over by a bus on their way to the gym. Yeonjun’s heart almost stops at the possibility of him being a witness of manslaughter when he saw the scene. 

Beomgyu is noticeably absent all day until he isn’t, and the sudden pile of cards on Soobin’s desk gives an answer. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise there will be more volleyball in the next chap kshjdhsjks lets just give the boys a cute lil moment
> 
> for fun: have the members' stats!!:
> 
> Choi Yeonjun (#4):
> 
> position: wing spiker  
> power: 5/5  
> stamina: 5/5  
> game sense: 3/5  
> technique: 4/5  
> speed: 3/5


	4. realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some things are out of our hands

_It was now or never. The last set out of three._

_26:27._

_They need two more points. They need to win the next rally. They need to secure this win for them to finally move on to the last match._

_Just one more win._

_Soobin feels his heart beat erratically inside his chest._

_They’ve come so far now. Just one more win._

_The whistle blows, and they start._

_It’s the other team’s serve, Number 7. Soobin doesn’t have time to rack his brain for their name. All he knows is that their serve is the nastiest to get._

_But his eyes glance over at Beomgyu, behind him--- just for a split second--- his eyes are focused and looking straight at the ball, and then Soobin doesn’t have to worry about the ball ending up in their court in this second._

_Beomgyu gets it with a dive, and they all run._

_It goes up perfectly to their setter, Renjun. With nimble fingers, he gives the ball to Yeonjun, who’s already up in the air, spiking the ball past the blockers but Number 2 manages to receive it._

_The ball goes up again, and suddenly the court has become narrow and Soobin doesn’t think he can breathe._

_He rushes to the net with shaking knees and waits with Jaemin and a senior as the other team’s setter, Number 21, tosses the ball._

_It has to be Number 11 at the back row, their arms already in position._

_But, he pauses his train of thought, there is also Number 7, who could hit from anywhere ---_

_He looks at his senior, already in position to stuff Number 11. He bites back his words and follows suit._

_“Get ready,” The third year directs him._

_This is their point. Soobin tells himself, knees already bent in preparation. This is their rally to win, and then they’re gonna need just one more point to win this game._

_Soobin jumps._

Just one more.

_The ball flies past Number 11 and Soobin feels all of his limbs freeze._

_Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong._

_Wrong._

_It’s Number 7 spiking again, flying up high in front of him. The ball slams against their palms and whirls onto their side._

_A million thoughts crash down in Soobin's head in that split second._

It was just one more point. I shouldn't have hesitated. I should have told them. It was just one more point. I should have ---

_The ball drops, and no one is there to catch it._

_The whistle blows, and they all freeze._

_Soobin turns around to look at what he’s done, watches as the ball bounces around in their court, and he can’t breathe._

_Eventually, he hears murmurs and chatters buzzing around him. He feels hands firmly patting his shoulders, he hears words of comfort ring in his ears like white noise._

_“We did the best we could.” Someone tells him. “We made it this far.”_

_Soobin shuts his eyes when he feels them sting. Regret and guilt are all on his mind._

_The whistle blows once again, and it all ends._

**-**

"You told him my neighbor's dog has herpes?"

Beomgyu raises a brow at the flustered Kai in front of him. It was a simple task he had given his little juniors: it was for Taehyun to tell Kai to tell Soobin an excuse or for Kai to tell Taehyun to tell Soobin an excuse. Whoever sees the captain first. 

"It was the only thing I could think of, okay?" Kai snaps as he averts his back to the card they were designing. "Anyways, what _are_ we even doing here that you made us skip class for this?"

"My parents' anniversary card," Beomgyu answers cheerfully.

Taehyun looks unimpressed. "It says 'Choi Soobin, you don’t suck,' right here." 

"You got me there, first year," Beomgyu says with a grin. "We're here to make an appreciation card for our dearest, prettiest, bestest, cutest, and beloved --- _est_ \--- captain."

“Is it his birthday?” 

Beomgyu glances up from where he was splashing glitters and confetti. “Does it have to be his birthday for us to tell him how much we love and appreciate him?” 

Taehyun hums thoughtfully before he shakes his head. Beomgyu smiles proudly at the answer. 

“But why today though?” Kai rubs a glitter covered hand on his chin, painting it pink. “We could have done it yesterday or the day before that or the day before the day before that or the day ---”

Taehyun holds up a hand. “I think he gets it.”

“This day is special because ---,” Beomgyu breaks off with a shrug. “Well, it’s special because it is.” 

“Come on!” Kai throws him a piece of M&Ms. Beomgyu catches it gracefully with his mouth. “Just tell us!”

“I second the motion,” Taehyun says. “This is suspicious.”

Beomgyu laughs. At first glance, people would think they’re an unlikely pair, with Taehyun’s no nonsense attitude and Kai --- being Kai. But these first years make it work. Their teamwork in near perfection without any prior discussion, both in and out of court. They’re solid and unshakeable together.

That’s why Beomgyu loves it even more when he sees the look on their faces when he successfully pulls off a prank. 

“Well, we have a practice match later,” Beomgyu starts. “You’ll know why.”

“Boo, cliffhanger.” 

Beomgyu laughs and shakes his head. “Now, what do you think? Should we add M&Ms on this card too?”

“I think you’re insane," Taehyun tells him, but proceeds to pour a pack of M &M's onto the card anyways. 

**-**

_The week after their loss at nationals, Soobin is the one who gets named captain._

_He accepts the title with a smile, clean and charming, not a twitch out of place. They all congratulate him, by throwing an arm around him, rubbing their fists against his head, or clapping him on the back. Heck, Yeonjun plants a big wet kiss on his cheek, to which Soobin responds with a spray of his bottled water._

_Beomgyu thinks this one was a long time coming. Soobin who is gentle, observant, and coolheaded. Soobin who knows patience like no other. With how their team works and plays, he thinks no one else deserves it more than Soobin._

_As he watches him get crowded, he meets his new captain’s gaze, as he always does, and he grins, and hopes that the message will come across like it always will._

_Soobin grins back but the lost look in his eyes has Beomgyu’s own fading._

**-**

_Distraction. Distraction._ Yeonjun thinks as he walks over to Soobin’s homeroom. _Right, gotta distract Soobin._

As much as he thinks Beomgyu’s plan is stupid, he knows Soobin prefers the thought over the item itself and he also knows Soobin just really likes anything that Beomgyu has to do with, so of course, when presented with the lunacy that was Choi Beomgyu’s plans sent to him via a rock and a now broken phone at 3am, Yeonjun had no choice but to agree.

("What the --- you have a phone, Beomgyu!" Yeonjun exclaims to the boy throwing pebbles at his window. At 3am.

Beomgyu gasps, "Oh, right!" right before he launches his phone at Yeonjun's window.)

He pulls the door open, garnering surprised reactions from the residents. He nods and greets back at the people around him. He tries to spot where his best friend is, lurking somewhere while stuffing food in his mouth or sleeping on his desk. It’s not that hard to miss a handsome 185cm volleyball player towering over the majority of the school’s population. 

“If you’re looking for Soobin, he went out to look for Beomgyu,” Arin helpfully supplies in her perpetual bright voice. “He left just a while ago so he shouldn’t be too far off.”

Yeonjun sighs in relief. Soobin, despite his long limbs, enjoys the slower pace of life, therefore Yeonjun can easily catch up to him in a blink of an eye.

“Thanks, Arin,” He tells her. The school should really consider changing their patron saint. “I owe you one.”

“You always do,” She rebutts. Yeonjun laughs and rushes out the room with a salute.

He spots their captain in the matter of five seconds, just about to descend the stairs with bread stuffed in his cheeks. Right on track. 

“Soobin!” He calls out, nearly startling his best friend into choking on his bread. “Oh, sorry. You good?”

Soobin doubles over as he coughs but he nods anyways. “What’s up?”

“Uh, nothing. I just wanted you to try out the new teacakes from the canteen with me,” Yeonjun stammers out.

“Oh, yeah,” Soobin says, words muffled with his mouth full of bread. “I already tried those. You should try them. They're the best.”

Alarms ring in Yeonjun’s head as he recalls Beomgyu’s request: _Do not bring him to my classroom. Keep him distracted._

“Ah, but I really wanted you to come with me though,” Yeonjun lies through his teeth. He knows Soobin can easily spot him when he’s lying, tells him his eyes wander about and his lips are almost always pursed. But Yeonjun is trying his best here.

“But I’m going to Beomgyu’s homeroom though.” Soobin looks confused. “I’m there to check up on him.”

Yeonjun does his best to act just a bit put off. “What happened? Did he say anything?”

“Yeah, apparently he told Taehyun who told Kai who told me that he called in absent today because his neighbor’s dog contracted herpes and he really needs to be there for them right now.”

“His… neighbor’s dog… contracted… herpes?” 

Yeonjun falters. He doesn’t even think he can believe his own ears right now. He doesn’t know if it was Kai or Beomgyu who came up with the excuse, it both sounds like something they would make up at the moment. 

“Is that even possible?” Soobin’s brows are furrowed. “I think it’s all a sham though. I heard someone screaming his name earlier and I’m pretty sure it was Kai.” 

Yeonjun presses his lip into a tight smile. Trust in Beomgyu to ruin his own plans.

“Is that so?” Yeonjun weakly attempts to drag Soobin away from the second years’ hall. “Well, I’m starved and I really want teacakes so if you would just please ---”

Soobin pulls back, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You guys are up to something, aren’t you?”

“What makes you say that?” Yeonjun laughs shakily and that’s when he knows he’s caught.

Soobin looks at him, unimpressed. “Whatever. I’ll know it sooner or later anyways.” He shakes his head with a sigh. “You guys suck at acting. If you wanna surprise someone, at least do it right.”

“I can’t lie to save my life, Soobin.”

“You’d be dead before you reach thirty.” 

They head back to Soobin’s classroom and it’s a party there, wild chatters and excited gleams. There’s a faint sound of what Yeonjun can make out to be Fergie’s “Glamorous”. 

The students are all gathered around Soobin’s desk, talking amongst themselves with great exuberance. Yeonjun thinks this must be the surprise.

“Arin, what’s happening?” Soobin asks their manager who has a brimming wide smile as she approaches them. 

"Someone sent you a gift ---,” Arin breaks off, grinning wide. “--- Well, multiple gifts.” 

The crowd parts for Soobin, who freezes at the sight of his desk, now overflowing with piles of message cards in a variety of pastel and neon colors with what Yeonjun thinks to be an unnecessary amount of streamers, M&M’s, and confetti.

Yeonjun glances at Soobin, who picks up one of the cards: a bright purple card with a ‘Choi Soobin, best captain, middle blocker, and boyfriend <3’ written on it with a gel pel. 

“That’s not all, captain,” Na Jaemin, one of their middle blockers, butts in. He and Yoo Jimin drag a 2 meter card inside the room and now Yeonjun finally knows where Fergie was coming from. 

A blue massive greeting card drenched in what Yeonjun can assume to be glitter, with pop-up images of Agustin Loser emerging from inside the card. They open it and inside, written in big texts reads: ‘Choi Soobin, you don’t suck <3’ and in the bottom, where Fergie's 'Glamorous" was playing in a small speaker and just next to where Agustin Loser’s foot is, is a small doodle of a bunny. 

“What a mess,” Yeonjun mutters, squinting at the card. “Clean-up is gonna be a pain.”

He glances at Soobin, who now has a tupperware of strawberry covered chocolates --- from where? Yeonjun doesn’t even know, and he’s smiling, not in the regular cheeky smile that’s always on his face but rather the soft and endeared one that Yeonjun knows only Beomgyu can set off Soobin. 

Yeonjun sighs. They’re both insane. It’s a match in heaven.

**-**

_Beomgyu learns the reason why the night after the seniors’ graduation, a quiet winter night._

_Soobin was seated on his bed, quiet and dazed. It isn’t an unusual sight. The two of them in Beomgyu’s room, drenched in nothing but comfortable silence, content with just having each other’s presence._

_He’s already noticed and confirmed on the way home: Soobin’s subdued expression, only shaking his head and choosing to lace his fingers with Beomgyu’s as a response when Beomgyu would try to play around with him. This was more than just an off day._

_But Beomgyu knows more than to pressure Soobin into telling him, so he only makes himself scarce beside him, just to let him know that he’s there, that he's going to wait until the words begin to spill like they always do._

_He didn’t know what he was expecting but it certainly wasn’t the ones that tumble out of Soobin’s lips._

_“I’m sorry.”_

_Beomgyu glances up from where he was absentmindedly plucking at the strings of his guitar. He furrows his brows, “What for?”_

_“I’m sorry --- we ---,” Soobin breaks off, voice cracking in time with Beomgyu’s heart. “The match. If I had told them, we would still be ---”_

_“Soobin.” His voice is barely a whisper. He doesn’t think it could get stronger than that. “All this time --- were you blaming yourself for what happened?”_

_“I’m sorry,” Soobin says again, shutting his eyes close as tears begin to pour down his cheeks. “I know what you’re gonna say --- that I shouldn’t be blaming myself but Beomgyu, I just can’t help but feel like it is.”_

_When Soobin cries, he’s there to listen despite the clenching inside his chest. The sounds are what fills in the air inside Beomgyu’s room. It’s quiet, it’s soft, it’s Soobin’s. Soobin who seldom cries, Soobin who is always the one giving comfort and assurance, and this sound is something Beomgyu isn’t used to. He’s only heard it once, during his last year of middle school and Soobin’s first year, when Soobin had been on the receiving end of the upperclassmen’s near barbaric orders._

_(He broke down in the middle of winter after a skipped practice day, inside Beomgyu’s room, on a Saturday, unable to keep it to himself anymore. It broke his heart to see one of Soobin’s greatest love be pried away from his hands like this._

_“I don’t think I can do this anymore, Beomgyu,” he had told him, and Beomgyu, despite rage seething in his veins at what they have done to Soobin, only kept mum, put his arms around Soobin, and hoped it was enough words than what his voice could say.)_

_This was something he should have seen coming, should have noticed for so long, and yet he didn’t. He didn’t know. He didn’t have a clue._

_“It wasn’t your fault, Soobin.” He sets his guitar down and wraps his arms around Soobin as the other’s body begins to rack with sobs. Beomgyu feels his insides shatter at the sight. It’s been so long since he’s felt so helpless in front of Soobin, his arms only dangling uselessly by his side as he watches his captain cry. “That last rally was out of our control --- like most things in volleyball. The setter was good. No one saw that coming. Even if you had narrowed down the ball’s course, no one would have been able to receive that. Not even me.”_

_“Even so, Gyu,” Soobin mumbles against the crook of his neck. Beomgyu can feel his tears drip on his skin, cold, wet and is probably soaking through his sweater but he pays it no mind, smoothing his hand on Soobin’s hair. “Do you think I deserve it? The captain title?”_

_Beomgyu pulls back, scrunching his brows at Soobin, whose eyes are still brimming with tears. It’s unfamiliar and weird but Beomgyu knows he would prefer this than to see Soobin bottle everything up until it gets too much again._

_“Who else but you, silly?” He chuckles when Soobin’s lips begin to twist and tremble and he cries into Beomgyu’s arms again. He smooths his hand over Soobin’s hair, just to let him know he’s here. “You deserve it more than anyone.”_

_He couldn’t think of anyone other than Soobin. Soobin whose patience knows no bounds. Their team is made up of a bunch of firecrackers, all of them shine and fly in heights higher than the sky. It would only make sense to have Soobin, coolheaded and grounded, to drag them back to Earth._

_“If it’s hard, then you should’ve just quit right then.” He knows his words sound harsh to any other listening ear but he knows more than anyone how much Soobin loves volleyball, so when Soobin blinks at him, quietly pondering at his words, Beomgyu grins at him. “You can’t, right?”_

_Soobin, after what feels like an eternity, smiles at him, showing dimples and teeth. Beomgyu couldn't ask for more than that._

**-**

There is a certain kind of difference when it comes to club hours and Not club hours. Yeonjun should know, being in the volleyball club for three years now. Sometimes, or well, most of the time, club members have lives outside of the club.

But still, Yeonjun, who considers himself a very friendly and not at all shy person, is at a total loss for words when it comes to talking to Taehyun outside the court.

It just so happened that Yeonjun was turning around the corner en route to the gym that he saw Taehyun and Kai also on their merry way to the gym, chatting animatedly with vigorous hand movements. 

He’s been trailing behind them for how many minutes now like a creep as he’s trying to think of ways to approach them and talk to them. Like how he usually fares in human interactions. But somehow his brain isn’t conjuring up any topic like it usually does. 

But, by the grace of whatever deities Yeonjun is praying to, Taehyun turns his head back, catches a glimpse of Yeonjun, who feels instant panic at meeting his gaze, and he beams. Yeonjun is sure he did. He couldn’t possibly miss that. 

Ah. That’s pretty.

“Hey,” Taehyun greets. Him and Kai halt in their movements to wait for him, standing a bit awkwardly in the middle of the parking lot. 

Yeonjun grins. “Hey, what are you ---”

Yeonjun breaks off, almost feels his heart stop when a bus pulls up mere inches away from the two first years. Kai yells bloody murder, Taehyun looks like his soul has finally flown out of his body, and Yeonjun feels both of their sentiments.

“Are you okay?” Yeonjun dashes instantly to their side, pulling the two away from the near crime scene. He thinks his heart just stopped beating honestly. That wasn’t safe parking or driving at all. 

They both shake their head, evidently shaken up from what just happened. Yeonjun whips his head towards the bus, brows furrowing. “Yo! What the hell? They could’ve died! Is your head that big that you can’t ---”

The words continue to tumble from Yeonjun, who isn’t at all thinking as he continues to scream at the bus while holding the two first years in arms. It doesn’t at all register in his head that the words printed on the front of the bus reads: _East Integrated Academy._

**-**

“Are you two okay?” Soobin furrows his brows at the tale. When the two first years nod, he turns to Yeonjun, who is still beet red from telling the events. “You screamed at the bus for how many minutes?”

Yeonjun looks away, out of shame or not. Soobin doesn’t know. “Twenty-five.” 

_That’s too much._ Soobin thinks, frowns, and says, “Just fifteen would have sufficed.”

“We’re all fine now, don’t worry, Soobin.” Taehyun has finally changed into his practice clothes. He’s smiling at them, serene and composed, but the look in his eyes tells Soobin that he is thinking of anything but happy thoughts now.

“We’ll get our payback,” Kai says, beaming at all of them. “We’ll win today and we’ll show them who’s boss.”

Soobin glances at Beomgyu, who had been sitting silently at the corner, only listening to them. Just as always, it doesn’t take long for his gaze to be met. 

There’s a question in Beomgyu’s eyes when he looks back at him. Soobin thinks of the cards scattered on his desk at noon, thinks of Beomgyu’s room on that one that winter night, thinks of warmth in that room, wrapping his arms around him. 

( _“If it’s hard then you should have quit right then.” A grin. Guileless brown eyes that never falter in looking back at him. “You can’t, right?”_ )

Soobin’s long accepted the loss, ever since that one night. He’s practiced since then, just as his members and the other team has done. He’s built up his muscle, trained himself better techniques, just like everyone else. 

For this day, the only thing he can do is his best, think of the best actions he could give to his team and do them just like in practice. Outside of all that, there is nothing else left in Soobin’s control. 

Soobin smiles, enough reassurance for Beomgyu to return it. 

**-**

It’s the first set. 2:1. The points for their opponents and the point for their team. Their first point was scored by none other than Yeonjun, slamming the ball into the blockers hands, the ball bouncing off into the opposite side of the court, and it’s a wipe.

Soobin sucks in a breath, zeroes his focus on the people on the other side of the net. He’ll secure them points too.

"Kai, it's your serve!" Yeonjun shouts, throwing the ball to their middle blocker. "Remember! Aim for the other side!"

"And not my head," Soobin says, putting his head behind his head for safety purposes. His head could still remember the touch of the ball slamming against the back of his head, nearly decapitating him. Sometimes, even Kai doesn’t know his own strength.

“I get it!” 

He does a simple serve, and the ball flies over the net nimbly and the opponents’ setter receives it. That’s perfect. Soobin thinks, watching as Number 11 tosses the ball back to Number 21, who sets it and the ball is up again.

Soobin looks at Number 7, running towards the front and he pauses but Soobin knows better. 

Not today. 

He doesn’t falter, leaping in the air, arms forward --- right when Number 7’s palm hit the ball. 

Soobin stuffs him, throws the ball back into their side of court, and the whistle blows, ringing in his ears. There’s their point.

A grin makes its way on Soobin’s face. _There we go_ , he thinks before the ball goes back to Kai, ready to begin his serve again.

**-**

In the middle of the first set, Taehyun learns that there is a stark difference between Soobin playing in their own training drills and Soobin playing against other teams. 

Soobin doesn’t give in much to competitiveness usually, knowing the other members enough to trust them with how the play goes. Taehyun has always thought he was the calm among the wild and near feral players of their team, and that’s still accurate. He’s only ever seen Soobin ever get competitive and it’s in this moment.

Right now, Soobin is the scariest on the court.

He doesn’t force heads to garner their attention on him, not like Yeonjun who always shines the brightest when he’s on the court. Taehyun could see exactly what thoughts are running through the cogs in the other team’s heads. They always never seem to suspect Soobin coming for them, in quiet and calculated moves, thinking you could see the other side of the court and just spike the ball there but then you just don’t, your attack getting stuffed by an unexpected newcomer, the ball bouncing back into your side of the court.

(Number 5 is up, arms in position as the ball goes to their hand. Taehyun jumps, but he's still so sure the ball would go past him. Kai isn't here to cover the gaps for him when he's exchanged places with Beomgyu right now.

Their palm hits the ball and Taehyun shuts his eyes, braces for the impact but he doesn't get that, and his eyes shoot open.

Right next to him is Soobin, out of nowhere, eyes focused on Number 5 and hands merciless as they smash the ball back into their opponents' side of the court.) 

Taehyun could just hear Soobin’s voice in every block he makes, almost mocking their opponents: ‘ _What are you doing? That ball’s not going anywhere._ ’

"Wow," Taehyun says when the whistle blows, the end of the first set.

Soobin tilts his head, peering at him curiously, "What's up?"

"You're evil," Taehyun tells him with all seriousness. He feels a chill crawl up his spine. "If I was any other player having to face your blocks, I wouldn't have made it past you." 

"That makes me evil?" Soobin raises a brow at him and laughs. “I thought I was getting us some points there.”

“Now you know, Taehyun,” Yeonjun speaks up from where he was chugging his water. He points a finger at Soobin. “He isn’t a man we should trust. He’ll sell you to Satan just to eat a slice of pie.” 

“That’s just you,” Soobin says, pointing a finger back at Yeonjun. “It’s just you I would sell to Satan.”

“I’m torn in between calling you evil and cool,” Taehyun tells Soobin, who looks so amused at his words. He must be enjoying seeing people suffer like this, opponents and allies alike but the bubbling respect inside Taehyun right now is so strong. “I know I already called you evil but those plays were so cool.”

“Small thing.” Soobin waves a dismissive hand at him but he’s smiling, dimples appearing and teeth shining. “I’m glad that you feel threatened, Taehyun.”

**-**

Five sets and Soobin’s team won by three. It was only a practice match but Soobin has never felt this good, brimming with pride as he shakes the other team’s hands. He doesn’t know if this could be considered revenge for nationals but in his mind, this is it. 

“Thank you for all the cards, by the way,” Soobin tells his members. They’ve chosen a different venue today, choosing the nearby diner to get a small dinner. As it turns out, Taehyun’s family owns the place they have been frequenting since they were first years. It should have been a bit obvious, with the array of Taehyun pictures and posters on the walls. “My favorite was the one with Agustin Loser.” 

“I liked the one with the Yanagida caricature,” Beomgyu says with a pout. “That was done so beautifully. My favorite player was given justice.”

“I still think we should have gone for Sekita,” interjects Taehyun, narrowing his eyes at Beomgyu from the rim of his cup.

Kai tilts his head. “Your favorite player is Yanagida, Beomgyu? I thought it would be a fellow libero.”

Beomgyu shrugs, a coy smile on his lips. “What can I say? I like pretty volleyball team captains.” 

Soobin grins at that. Beomgyu returns it with a wink. From beside him, he hears Yeonjun gag. 

"Aside from whatever that was," Yeonjun starts, raising his drink. He looks proud, eyes shining bright in the light of the diner. "I'd like to say I'm proud of you, Soobin. You were the MVP today. You stuffed them more times than you should have that even I started feeling hurt. We deserved that win because of you, captain." 

It’s too early for Soobin’s heart to be melting but it still does, clenching inside his chest. His eyes flit over to where Beomgyu was sitting across him, and without fail, Beomgyu meets his eyes, and he smiles, simple enough for Soobin to understand the thousand words behind it.

Soobin feels tears beginning to well up in his eyes but he averts his eyes from them, waving a dismissive hand. “Ah. What do you mean? Such a small thing. I’m always great like that.” 

“He was too cool,” Kai says, wiggling his finger at Soobin with a pout. “I wanna block like Soobin too.”

“I’d rather you not,” Beomgyu warns him, wagging his finger at Kai back. “He was too cool that he didn’t leave any opening for me to get any digs! I wanted to show off too!” 

A laugh bubbles out of Soobin. “I’ll give the next game to you two then.” 

When the night settles in, it’s when they begin to leave the diner, mumbling their goodbyes to each other. It turns out Kai lived in the apartment complex just beside Taehyun’s house so once again, the three of them were left, walking in the street lit by the moon and the streetlamps to their shared block.

“Here.” Beomgyu fishes something out of his jacket pocket when they stop by his house, setting a small item on Soobin’s palm. He smiles up at him, and Soobin is reminded once again of the cards and glitter splattered all over his desk, of the embrace on that winter night, and he returns the gesture, lips curling upwards. 

Soobin studies the object in his hand. It was the polaroid picture they took earlier, in the middle of their celebratory dinner. It was taken by Beomgyu, hand stretching out for the camera as he poses with a peace sign and a pout, Yeonjun is looking at the camera with wide eyes, cheeks stuffed with pasta and bread, Taehyun has his hand up for another peace sign, not uncool, in contrast to Kai and Soobin beside Yeonjun, Kai’s cheeks stained with spaghetti sauce, completely clueless while Soobin looks like he just lost ten years of his life from laughing at the sight.

“Why did you have to take it when I was eating?’ Yeonjun whines but the corners of his lips are twitching up as he inspects the picture from where he was peering from over Soobin’s shoulders. 

“It won’t be any fun,” Beomgyu grins. “I think I chose the best time to take a pic.” 

Soobin turns his head back to Beomgyu, his fingers lacing themselves with Beomgyu’s in automatic. He gazes at Soobin, eyes softening and he’s never been more thankful to have him in his life. 

“Don’t be gross.” Yeonjun rolls his eyes upon seeing their intertwined hands. “I’m literally right here.”

“Thank you,” Soobin tells Beomgyu, because there really is nothing more to say than that. “For today and for… y’know, everything.”

Beomgyu shakes his head, smiles, and places a meek kiss on Soobin's cheek, "Love you."

"Love you." Soobin smiles before Beomgyu enters his house, giving them a meek little wave.

He watches Beomgyu's figure get smaller and smaller until the door closes, away from his sight.

Yeonjun gags from beside him but Soobin only grins and turns his eyes back to the picture in his hand. Something blooms in his chest, in full and wide blossoms as he looks at his team, unapologetically them and he thinks it’s a promise. 

It’s his team, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i honestly had no idea what i was doing while writing this im so sorry n e ways have some more stats!!
> 
> Choi Soobin (#1):
> 
> position: middle blocker  
> power: 2/5  
> stamina: 3/5  
> game sense: 5/5  
> technique: 4/5  
> speed: 3/5


	5. summer nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the start of summer training camp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alexa play summer nights from grease

"I'm gonna show you two things, Soobin." The first thing Taehyun sees upon entering the gym is this: Yeonjun holding up two pictures in front of their captain with a glare that appears more distressed than scary. "One of them is a garbage dump in the Philippines and the other one is your room. Which is which?"

"Uh." Soobin looks nonplussed and hastily points at the second picture. "This is the garbage dump."

"They're both your room!" 

“What’s happening?” Taehyun makes the decision to ask because Beomgyu at the back looks so terribly amused at seeing his boyfriend getting scolded at 7 in the morning. 

“Yeonjun saw Soobin’s room again this morning,” Beomgyu says, like it’s an enough explanation. At Taehyun’s raised brow, he continues, “Soobin doesn’t look like it but he’s actually a slob.”

Somehow, Taehyun isn’t surprised. Soobin may have a neat and pristine reputation around the campus, his uniform always tidy and immaculate, his hair out of his face and a bright smile that makes the majority of the population coo over him but Taehyun knows better. 

He’s seen it in the little things --- the one towel that always ends up mopping the floor after practice, the clutter of clothes piled up on their captain's part of the benches, the crumbs of bread left by none other than Soobin who devours the snacks every after practice. If Soobin's that bad here, Taehyun can't imagine how worse his room is. 

"Alright, I'll clean up my room… next week," Soobin says before he rises to his feet, ignoring the distressed noises from his best friend and boyfriend. "The important thing right now, is that we have summer camp training! Next week!"

"Right after exams?" Kai barges in all of a sudden with wide eyes. Taehyun has a hunch from where his surprise is rooted from. 

"Oh yeah, didn't you flunk your review test, Kai?" Beomgyu mentions so casually, not even looking up from where he was reading the summer camp brochure to notice Kai turning beet red. 

Kai pouts, "It was physics, okay!" 

"You know, Kai, if you do fail your exams this week, you’ll have to take the supplementary exams,” Soobin reminds him with a frown. “So studying is of the essence here. Not just you, but to everyone in the team.“

Yeonjun raises a brow at their captain, “Says the one who almost flunked their math exams last year.”

“Hm? What was that, Yeonjun?” Soobin places a hand on his ear, feigning a curious look as he leans towards their ace. “You’ll show your middle school yearbook pics?”

Yeonjun flushes a deep red, cursing under his breath, and Taehyun doesn’t the evil grins that creep up on Soobin and Beomgyu’s lips. There’s a dark secret in that middle school yearbook and Taehyun will be damned if he says he isn’t curious one bit about that.

“We still have another practice exam.” Taehyun places a hand on Kai’s back. “You still have a chance to save yourself.” 

**-**

What went wrong?

Taehyun is still asking himself that. As his eyes continuously scan over the test paper in his hands, trying to search for where the hell he got it wrong. It was a simple subject. It was only History. He may have slept through the whole semester in class but he knew his answers were right. He just knows it.

“Yuna,” he whispers to his deskmate, who had gotten a 95 and now looked like she was on the verge of passing out on their desk. “Yuna!”

Yuna snaps up, eyes wide and her dark hair all tousled. “What?” 

“Can I look at your paper?” 

Yuna squints at him. A good few moments pass before she sighs and passes him the paper. A big fat 95 marked over the paper so beautifully that it makes Taehyun wanna cry. 

Taehyun blanches. All the answers were correct. All of it. The only problem was so miniscule and so trivial but he knows how much of a stick-in-the-mud Mrs Son is when it comes to instructions, he knows better than to argue his way through here.

Who still even uses circles in high school, underlines are way better and neater!

Yuna leans over, studies the papers on Taehyun’s hands and she winces, patting him on the back, “That’s a waste.”

Taehyun closes his eyes, sucks in a breath. He’ll have to think over this logically. The training camp is two towns over. His speciality is more on strategies but his running speed isn’t that bad but he can’t make it in time. He can’t get a cab because he’d broke ---

**-**

"Who flunked their exams this time?" Beomgyu asks cheerily upon entering the clubroom. There’s a club sandwich in one hand and a carton of milk in the other. Never mind the fact that food isn’t allowed in the clubroom, because Beomgyu uses it to feed their captain who won’t ever say no to a good snack time. 

"Taehyun and Kai," Yeonjun says with an unimpressed glance at the subjects. "Soobin would've joined them too if he didn't do all that extra credit."

Soobin huffs proudly, "What can I say? Teachers love me."

"What even is a _velocity_ ," Kai whispers in complete horror. 

Taehyun is looking at the void as if it sucked out all the soul in him, and from how his test papers were looking, Yeonjun’s prayers go out for him. The poor guy.

"You two are gonna have to pass the next exam or else you'll have to take supplementary exams during the training camp, y'know," Yeonjun reminds them. 

"We need to show those fuc -- I mean, losers --- that our future is secure with our new players," Soobin tuts. He’s pacing around the room with no set destination. Yeonjun doesn’t know if it’s just to annoy them or not but from the way the first years’ eyes are twitching, Yeonjun can tell it’s the former. "You guys better study hard --- or even better, get a tutor!"

"You know someone, Soobin?" Taehyun finally speaks for what seems like an eternity of staring into the void.

Yeonjun furrows his brows, “Didn’t you get all the answers right, Taehyun?”

Soobin pointedly ignores Yeonjun’s statement and proclaims, "Of course! I know the best! He's right here!" 

"Where?" The two instantly look at Yeonjun, who could only snort and shake his head. A flattering thought but his Chemistry grades would beg to differ.

"Right here!"

Soobin's finger points at Beomgyu, who throws them a small peace sign. The two first years deflate in an instant.

"Don't kid around!" Kai pouts. "We _have_ to attend the training camp, y'know!"

Soobin raises a brow at them. His expression was completely solemn and that’s the cue that there’s no saving the first years from their captain. "You thought I was kidding?"

"Here it goes." Yeonjun fishes out his noise cancelling headphones from his bag. "You guys did this to yourselves."

"I'll have you know that Beomgyu is in the top of his class," Soobin starts right as Beomgyu slams his head on his locker upon seeing a piece of a fallen chocolate wrapper. 

**-**

Beomgyu proves himself to be a great tutor, especially when he sees the first years enter the bus and he smirks at them when they take their seat in front. Soobin is playing an intense game of Animal Crossing beside him, nose scrunched up in concentration. He looks cute like that so Beomgyu’s careful when he leans over to the first years from where they were cowering.

“So, how was exams?” He doesn’t need to ask. He already saw Taehyun’s name at the top of the rankings right before an eight page letter of thanks was addressed to him with an anon going by the alter ego, Justin Bieber-Kang, and he saw Kai’s IG story of him sobbing in the middle of the night with his exam marks barely hanging on a thread, weeping out, “thank you to Beomgyu, you really saved me there.” But Beomgyu needs the ego boost. 

They both sigh. Not out of ungratefulness but rather because it’s the one constant thing that keeps Beomgyu’s mouth running this week. They both mumble a soft, “Thank you, Beomgyu.” 

Beomgyu grins and ruffles their hair, earning himself distressed groans and a slap to his fingers. 

**-**

One hour into the training camp, inevitable chaos ensues the moment Yeonjun exits the gym after a called break, sees the East Integrated Academy bus parked right next to theirs, and almost loses it. 

Had Soobin not been there to hold him back and remind him that he has a bright future ahead of him that isn’t hijacking private vehicles, who knows what Yeonjun would have done (kick the bus tires for a good five minutes, get tired at how his efforts are all in vain, and just glare at the bus for the rest of the hour, that’s what.)

The first years seemed to appreciate his efforts though, patting his back in comfort before they murmured their plans to him, and that was enough to get Yeonjun to behave. It was scary enough that Soobin had his personal no-it’s-not-a-vendetta vendetta against the academy, so when the four of them join him (Beomgyu just wanted in for the fun), it was almost funny seeing the ratio of their scoreboards. 

“I’m beat,” is the first thing Soobin says after practice, right before he plummets down his mattress, towel still strung over his shoulder and hair still damp from the water. Beomgyu cautiously leans down and pokes his head. 

“I’m gonna go get some extra practices,” Yeonjun tells them, the door already sliding open. 

Taehyun jolts up to his feet in an instant. “I’ll join you.” 

“Ah! Wait!” 

Soobin sits up from his dead man pose and looks up at them with a grin. “Small team meeting first.” 

“But it’s just us five here,” Kai furrows his brows.

“Friend meeting!” Beomgyu supplants cheerfully. His own blue towel with printed bears sits on top of his head, appearing like a baby fresh out of a bath. (Kai could've sworn he heard rubber duck noises in the showers, and he believes it’s Beomgyu but it could be anyone. It can’t be him. He left his back at home.)

Yeonjun raises a brow but complies anyways, sits cross-legged across Soobin, and Taehyun follows suit. They all wait for Soobin, who’s digging for something in his bag. Beomgyu has the corners of his lips curled up into a smirk, telling that he already knows what will unfold. 

“What’s that?” Kai can’t help but ask out of fear. Soobin is undoubtedly one of the nicest people he’s met for sure, he was the only one who taught Kai how to use the vending machine after he almost cracked the glass, but there are times where Soobin can be real scary, even if he doesn’t know it himself. 

“It’s a crown, Kai.” Sure enough, there on the palm of Soobin’s big hands, perches a golden crown, obviously bought from the dollar shop near their school, but it’s pretty enough. Soobin is beaming. “For every round, there is a different question asked by a different person and whoever has the crown gets to answer. Example, I’ll lend the crown to Yeonjun and the question is: what was the quote you put in your middle school yearbook?”

With the massive crown on top of his head, added with the unimpressed look on Yeonjun’s face, it’s almost funny. He glares at Soobin and Beomgyu, who snicker, but he sighs and yields to their teasing, mumbling, “It was an Avril Lavigne quote, okay?” 

“Yeah, and it was Hello Kitty,” Soobin grins, feigning a pained look when he gets smacked on the shoulder. 

“You literally wrote Hatsoobin Miku as your yearbook quote!” Yeonjun shoves the crown on Soobin’s head.

Soobin doesn’t look fazed by the attack, “I don’t regret a single thing.” He then places the crown back on Yeonjun’s head. “So, the game goes like that! Okay, so real question: why did you choose the position you have right now?”

"Uh, I don't really remember the exact moment," Yeonjun frowns as he tries to recall the childhood he's referring to as the _older generation_ , "but I just remember seeing Sergey Tetyukhin on TV and I just --- _loved_ his plays and I still do --- and I think that's why I chose being a spiker." 

"I love his plays too," Taehyun says, a smile on his face that Yeonjun returns easily. 

Soobin, never missing a thing --- such as their shared water bottle and such as those _lingering stares_ , sings, " _Love is the moment."_

It's not at all conspicuous, the way Yeonjun flushes a deep red before he clears his throat, "Yeah. Sergey. Cool guy." 

He promptly places the crown on Soobin's head again, in a near violent way that a soft grunt slips from their captain's lips. 

Soobin blinks, "My turn already? I was gonna add more comments to your story."

"I wanted to hear Yeonjun's tragic childhood too!" Beomgyu throws a crumpled piece of tissue at Yeonjun. In the midst of all this, he had been doing his skincare routine, rows of bottles and capsules from who knows where all lined up on the floor.

"We all know how horrifying it would turn out," Yeonjun says, giving the two of them a pointed glare. 

"Hehe." Their captain's eyes crinkle into small crescents. "I was gonna say something about that day where you asked me to recreate one of Sergey's moves and you --"

A squeak grates itself from Yeonjun's throat and he speaks, the volume just a bit too loud, "So, why did you become a middle blocker, Soobin?"

Soobin blinks at them, deciding whether or not he should drop the subject, and he does. He hums thoughtfully, his fingers rubbing at his chin, "I chose the middle blocker position because I like to see the horror in my opponents' eyes when they see me jump over the net to stuff them. Next."

"I chose to become a libero because I don't wanna see others get the satisfaction of seeing their points!" Beomgyu says happily. 

"Truly a match made in hell," Taehyun muses. The crown settles on his head and excitement flashes in his eyes. "Well, I remember back in grade school, when Kai and I both started playing, everyone in our local team tried out for different teams and it just so happened that I enjoyed the setter position the most."

Kai grins from behind his plushie. He recounts the time during second grade, Taehyun thought middle blockers and spikers jumped too much and that setters did less movement than the two and that was his decision, a very second grade thought for a second grader, but he's never regretted it, and now Taehyun's more than willing break his back just for the perfect set. A beautiful development. 

Taehyun places the crown on Kai's head. "Last one, Kai." 

Kai stammers, “I don’t really have a good reason for being a middle blocker.”

“We said just give your reason,” Soobin tells him, tone not unkind, especially when his infamous smile shows up, the one that makes anyone who sees it go soft and warm on the inside. Choi Soobin’s personal life hack. “We didn’t say to give us a good reason.” 

“Oh, well,” Kai blinks. “I just chose it because Taehyun told me it suits me.” 

Taehyun was also the reason why Kai even bothered to play the sport. He was the new kid on the block, a bit more shy and reserved back then with the constant moving. Taehyun was the same-aged kid across his house. The first time they met, Taehyun, for a seven year old, had a very terrifying disposition, scrutinizing Kai as if he were an ant inside a bottle even if Kai was towering over him.

(“You would be a really good middle blocker,” Taehyun had told him when they were walking home together after a match. “Of course, you still have so much more to go but that’s inevitable for everyone.”)

It doesn’t sound as dramatic or as passionate as anyone else’s but Kai enjoys volleyball. That’s more than enough. 

“I did a good deed,” Taehyun says proudly, followed by murmurs of agreement. 

Beomgyu bounces from where he was seated beside Soobin, a bear face mask on his face, “Okay! Okay! My question: most horrifying experience in high school so far?” 

“Ooh, wouldn’t you like to know,” Yeonjun mumbles, narrowing his eyes at the couple. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Soobin, with a smile on his face, cocks an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

Beomgyu wiggles his finger at the two of them, the crown crooked on his head, “No crown! No talk!”

Kai swiftly steals the crown from Beomgyu, ignoring the whine from the libero. He needs to get this out of his system. Fast. 

"I saw those two making out in the school hallways once." Kai sounds so hollow that Yeonjun’s brows scrunch at how much those two have made Kai go through. "I never tried skipping classes after that."

Yeonjun pats his back.

The crown goes back to Taehyun. He doesn’t miss a beat and says, “I once went into the Science section of the library and I also saw Beomgyu and Soobin making out.”

“I think you guys should stop walking in on people making out,” Beomgyu tells them, unfazed. “That sounds like a you problem.”

Yeonjun shoots the two a look, the familiar one that just screams _‘do-you-even-have-a-conscience’_.

“Most of the time, I think it’s romantic,” Taehyun sighs in defeat. “I saw you two hold hands after the EIA practice match.” 

Yeonjun hums. No one seems to care about the crown anymore, letting it make its home on Taehyun’s head. “I think the most romantic one they’ve ever done is when Beomgyu wrote Soobin a ---”

“What was that, Yeonjun?” Beomgyu raises his voice. He looks absolutely hilarious with his widened eyes in that bear printed face mask but Yeonjun, in his own unspoken and unofficial competition, bites back his laugh. “You want the first years to see your middle school pictures?”

Yeonjun gulps down his water bottle instantly and glares at the libero. But he knows better so he clamps his mouth shut. Damn it, Taehyun wanted to know.

“I think that was sweet, Gyu.” Soobin gives his boyfriend That Smile, and the instant yield is there, in the form of Beomgyu slumping back on Soobin’s chest. It’s disgustingly cute and the other three don’t know how they manage to out-PDA themselves every time. Soobin turns back to them, “He wrote me a song.”

“Ah, stop.” Beomgyu, for the first time since they’ve ever seen him, covers his face in embarrassment. But then he remembers the face mask and he instantly pries his hands off. “AH! That’s gross.”

Kai hums, "I’m gonna guess they also did a slow dance at some point?” 

"Ew! Gross!" Beomgyu makes a face at that. "Soobin and I may be sappy but we're not _that_ disgusting."

Taehyun and Yeonjun collectively splutter, with Yeonjun almost choking on his water and Taehyun spiralling into a coughing fit. The other three whip their heads towards them and they shake their heads. That’s a story for another day.

The game continues on, even as the other members begin to file in, mumbling their greetings to the five. It escalates into synchronized screams, guffaws, and just a sprinkle of emotional talk. 

(“I don’t really cry over movies,” Taehyun says with a smug smirk. “I have a record.”

Kai furrows his brows at this, “Taehyun, you cried over Titanic.”

That triggers an instant reaction from their setter. His mouth begins to tremble and tears well up in his eyes before he croaks out, “He saved her in every conceivable way.”)

They all talk, even as the lights fade out, until the other team members fall asleep, and it ends when Beomgyu falls asleep on top of Soobin’s chest, their fingers intertwined together, and their rowdy chatter transitions into more hushed conversations, and then the two first years follow suit, mouths falling open and limbs sprawling out everywhere. 

The two third years are whispering now. They talk about their final year, their graduation, their plans. It’s sentimental, and they even dare to look back at times when they were tiny kids, more reckless and starry-eyed, and they both think about the team after they’re gone.

(“Are we getting senile?” Yeonjun is rustling around his mattress. His hand flails and smacks Soobin on the arm. He gets a small pinch in return. “Ow.”

Soobin pats his shoulder, “Just you.”)

Their eyes have already adjusted to the dark when their eyes flit over to their juniors, their snoring libero, and the the two drooling first years. It’s a bit unbridled, a bit tumultuous, but it all falls into place.

Soobin and Yeonjun share a look, and they know they’ll be alright. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happee (late) bday to me so for my own treat i gave myself an update!! and have sum stats!!
> 
> Choi Beomgyu (#13)
> 
> position: libero  
> power: 3/5  
> stamina: 5/5  
> game sense: 4/5  
> technique: 4/5  
> speed: 4/5

**Author's Note:**

> updates don't have a constant but i'll be doing it frequently!! thank you for reading!! kudos and comments are very much appreciated!! <3
> 
> follow me on twt: [sbgyu_](https://twitter.com/sbgyu_)


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